Resilient solder terminal



May 26, 1953 Y M. ALDEN 2,640,135

RESILIENT SOLDER TERMINAL Filed Nov. 25, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet l fizdemiar 2'1 Z5070 afidem WMMW w y y y 25, 1953 M. ALDEN 2,640,185

RESILIENT SOLDER TERMINAL.

Filed NOV. 25, 1950 3 Spams-Sheet 2 May 26, 1953 M. ALDEN RESILIENT SOLDER TERMINAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Nov. 25, 1950 i""""' 7 ll l I? 13 [ma e/afar an" a m M a M m J M @1/ gyw Patented May 26, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RESILIENT SOLDER TERMINAL Milton Alden, Wellesley, Mass.

Application November 25, 1950,'Serial No. 197,569

9 Claims.

This invention relates to electrical terminals and more particularly to terminals of the type to which the leads from electrical circuit components of electronic circuits such as resistors and capacitors are soldered.

The present solder terminals used in radio, television and electronic circuitry generally require that the leads from the circuit components be twisted or wrapped around the terminal to secure the leads during the soldering operation and to add to the mechanical strength of the soldered joint. The twisting of the individual leads adds materially to the time and the cost of labor required to wire electronic equipment which often may have hundreds or in compli cated circuits thousands of soldered joints. Unless the twisting is carefully done, the leads may be broken away from the component or components otherwise damaged resulting in rejection of the equipment during test and inspection and further cost for repairs or salvage. Wrapped joints have the additional disadvantage of being difiicult to unsolder without damage to the adjacent parts and components so that they add to the difiiculty in servicing and repairing the equipment.

The so-called metal tie lugs and other similar terminals made from stampings and commonly used in cheaper equipment have been found to be not rigid enough to withstand the severe vibration and shock present in mobile equipment and other heavy duty apparatus. It is therefore customary to use terminals such as turret or split lugs in the wiring of high quality equip ment and where dependability under severe operating conditions is a paramount consideration. The latter types or lugs are generally screw machine parts which are machined from bar stock so that they are strong and rigid. The comparatively large mass of material in the body of this type of lug results in a high thermal capacity so that to bring the joint between the lug and lead to soldering temperature requires both a hot soldering iron and a considerable time interval which increases both the labor required and the cost of wiring. Furthermore if the soldering is not carefully done, the heat conducted along the leads often damages components such as capacitors which contain wax. The difiiculties encountered are further increased when more than one lead must be soldered to a single terminal. To minimize the possibility of damage by heating, it is customary to use longer leads than would be otherwise necessary thus separating the terminals further apart and in- 2 creasing the space requirements. The latter terminals are also expensive to produce because of the machining required.

Objects of this invention are to provide a solder lug or terminal for electrical component leads, which saves space, which speeds production, which is readily manufactured by punch press operations, which terminal is strong and rigid, which secures the lead for the soldering operation without the necessity of wrapping or twisting, which permits the leads to be pre-trimmed, which has a low thermal capacity, which will secure several leads, which facilitates wiring of electronic equipment, which is light in weight, which is small in size, which can be adapted to be used with components of various diameters, which is economical to produce, and which lends itself to mass production techniques.

In a broad aspect the invention contemplates a soldering terminal comprising an elongated piece of conducting material having means at one end for fastening it to a terminal board or block which means may be, for example, a recessed portion adapted to be formed into an eyelet or otherwise spread upon the opposite side of a sheet of insulating material or molded in a suitable block. The opposite end of the elongated piece is bifurcated to form an aperture to receive the lead of an electrical component such as a resistor or capacitor of the conventional type used in electronic circuits which end is elastic and proportional so as to be deformed or yield as the lead is inserted thereby to secure the lead during the soldering operation without the necessity of twisting, wrapping or otherwise attaching the lead to the terminal. It is also preferable although not necessary that the tines forming the aperture for the lead be provided with aligned apertures or openings to receive a second lead, the openings being near the ends of the tines so that the second lead will lock the first lead in position.

In a more specific aspect the terminal comprises a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that its ends lie adjacent each other. Each of the ends is crowned outwardly or otherwise deformed to impart rigidity and to form a recess for facilitating the attachment of the terminal to a terminal board or strip. The

ogdoad. Preferably although not necessarily the diameter of the opening or aperture formed by at least one of the pair of loops is great enough to take a second lead.

The above terminals are adapted to receive leads from components of generally similar diameters, terminals of different sizes being employed when the component diameters vary con siderably. However, by providing a terminal having a sufiicient height to accommodate the component having the greatest diameter and a slotted aperture deep enough for the smallest component, it is possible by providing one or more notches or serrations in one or both sides of the slotted aperture to secure the leads from components of intermediate diameters. The aperture is preferably althoughnot necessarily tapering inwardly so that the width of the bottom is less than that of the top.

These and other objects and aspects will apparent from the following description of several specific embodiments of the invention referring to drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a terminal strip showing one manner i mounting terminals according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevationof the terminal strip drawn in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan viewof a molded blcckhaving a plurality of terminals mounted thereupcn;

Fig, 4 is a side elevation View oithe. block shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged isometric view of one embodiment of the invention;

Figs. 8 and 7 are side elevation views of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is an isometric view'of a second embed.

ment of the invention wherein the lower tab' has been eliminated;

Fig. 9 is anenlarged isometric view or a third embodiment of the invention adapted-to receive the lead from a large component;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged isometric-view ofa fourth embodiment of the invention adapted to receive leads from components of various diameters;

Figs, 11 and 12 are-sidewelevaticn views of a modification of theembodirnent shown in 10;

Figs. 13 and 14 are side elevation views of am other embodiment adapted to receive leads from various sized components;

Figs. 15, 16 and 17 show the various steps by which the embodiment shown in Fig. 14 is mounted on a terminal board; and

Fig. 18 is a modification ofthe embodiment shown in Fig. 14.

The first embodiment. of the invention. illustrated in Figs, 5 through 7 comprises a soldering lug or terminal 20 formed of a stripoi'conducting material such as soft brass or bronze folded back upon itself as at 22 so that the endsZ-l and 2E of the strip are adjacent each'otheix The end 2 1. is extended beyond the end and provided with an aperture 2! to forma tab for the at tachment or" a. lead as described hereinafter. As is best shown in Fig. 6, the ends 24 and 25 crowned outwardly which serves both to impart rigidity and stiffness to the terminal and to facilitate the forming of the eyelet for mounting the terminal as will be described in detail below.

The terminal 29 is further stiffened by bending the portion of the terminal side between the fold 22 and the beginning of the crown in the end 2d outwardly into two adjacent loops 28 and 30. Two similar loops 32 and 34 are formed in the porher of arranging the terminalsis shown in F I which secures the terminals to the strip.

tion of the other ter ninal side between the fold 22 and the crown of the end 2 so that the upper portion of the terminal has the appearance of an ogdoad or figure 8.

The loops 28-34 are bifurcated by a slotted aperture 36 (Fig. 7) which transversely cuts the fold 22 and extends axially of the terminal entirely through the loops 28 and 32 and approximately half way through the loops 3?] and 3 Thedepth of slotted aperture 35 is made enough so that when a wire or CODdUfitlllg lead is resting upon the bottom of the aperture the top thereof lies below the opening. formed by the loops 28 and 32. The diameters of th "-0 openings are great enough so that a second d can'be inserted therein without interferin with the lead in the bottom of the slotted aperture. The width of the slotted aperure 36 is preferably althoughnot necessarily slightly less than the diameter of the lead so that the lead will deform the. t' on either side of the aperture as it is forced-therein,thus securing the load because of the restoring force exerted by the elasticity of the-tines.

Although terminals 20 of the type described above can be mounted in the conventional. munnot so that the electrical component whose la is are solderedthereto'is arranged transversely of the terminal board or strip, the preferable l-'='. 1-

1 andz wherein associated pairs of terminals are offset so that the axis of the electrical component securedthereby isdisposed at approximately 45 degrees to the sides of the strip.- The latter arrangement permits adjacent tie leads inserted-in the openings formed by the loops 2; and-32- of juxtaposed terminals to be brought out at an angle withoutinterfering with each other.

The-terminals 20 are attached to the terminal board by inserting the crowned ends and 2G in the correspondin holes 40 provided in terminalstrip 38'. A pointed tool is then insert...v in the recess formed by the crowning of the e. 24 and 2G to bend over-the ends into an eyelet The strip 38 with the terminals attached as above is mounted upon the chassis or panel (not shown) by means of rivets or screws which project through mounting holes 42. When the chassis is wired the leads of all the components are inserted in the corresponding slotted apertures 36 and cut immediately beyond-the terminals, as shown in 1. It will be noted in this connection that the leads are secured by the elastic action of the terminal so that no twisting or bending of the leads is required thereby reducing the labor cost and the possibility of damage to the components. The tie leads are then inserted in the openings formed by the loops 24 and 26 which act to iurther secure the leads from the components.

After the wiring is completed, as described above, the joints are soldered. Because the stiflness and rigidity of terminals, constructed as'described heretofore,- results from their configuration rather than their mass, much less heat is required than with conventional terminals so that the soldering operation is completed more quickly andresults in better joints. There is also less time for the heat to be conducted along the leads to damage such components as capacitors making it possible in many instances to shorten such leads with resulting material saving in space. In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a terminal block 33- molded from a suitable plastic and having a r of recessesdfl for accommodating a single row of terminals. Each recess 411 has a centrically located hole wherein a respective terminal is secured by an eyelet operation similar to that described in detail heretofore with respect to the terminal strip 38. The terminal blocks 38 are mounted in pairs by means of screws (not shown) which project through mounting holes (42) in the end recesses in the blocks. An integral boss 39 is provided beneath each of the end recesses which act as spacers.

An alternative form of the terminal 20 designated 20 is shown in Fig. 8. The terminal 20 is identical in construction and used in a similar manner to the terminal 20 with the single exception that the bottom soldering tab is eliminated by making the crowned end 24 the same length as the end 26.

The terminals 20 and M! are designed for use with comparatively small diameter components. and it has been found advantageous to use with larger components a terminal 20* similar to that shown in Fig. 9. In the terminal Ml the bottom of the slotted aperture 36 is raised by increasing the length of the loops 30 and 34 and by inserting additional pairs of loops 44 and 46 between the loops 30 and 34 and the crowned ends 24 and 26, respectively. In other respects the terminal Ml is similar to the terminals 20 and 20 described heretofore.

It is also possible to construct, according to the above principles, universal terminals which will accommodate electrical components of various diameters. One of such terminals, which is designated 20 in Fig. 10, comprises a conducting strip folded at 22 and provided with crowned ends 24 and 26 and lower loops 30 and 34 which are similar to the elements of the terminal 2i) hearing the same indicia and described in detail heretofore. The upper loops 28 and 34 are greatly elongated to increase the height of the terminal so that the slotted aperture 36 is not extended into the lower loops 30 and 34. The sides of the aperture 36 are provided with recesses or notches 50 which are offset from each other lengthwise of the aperture thereby to act as a series of stops to accommodate the leads from components of different diameters without the necessity of bendmg.

The terminal 20 illustrated in Figs. 11 and 12, is provided with three pairs of loops so that it accomplishes a similar result. The upper loops 28 and 32 are elongated and the slotted aperture 36 extends therethrough into the center loops 30 and 34. An alternative arrangement of the notches En for accommodating the leads of components of different diameters to that shown in Fig. is employed in the terminal wherein the notches are all cut in one side of the aperture although it is to be understood that either configuration of notches can be used with either terminal.

It is also possible to use a serrated tapered slot 36 such as shown in the terminal 2|] (Figs. 13 and 14) for securing components of various diameters. Although the wire diameters of electrical components of difierent manufacturers vary somewhat, there is a rough correlation between the diameters of the different components and their respective leads so that a tapered slot whose bottom is located approximately .093 inch from the surface of the terminal board and which tapers from a minimum width of .030 to a maximum width of .042 in a length of .267 inch has been found to space the components at a satisfactory distance from the board. When these dimensions are used the tines of the terminal are deformed slightly by the lead when the component is in position so that the lead is securely gripped by the teeth of the serrated edge of the slot 35.

The bottommost loops 44 and 46 in this terminal are also modified so that they form a triangle whose bottom provides a better bearing surface against the terminal board as is shown in Fig. 17. The triangularly shaped lower loops also permit the insertion of a triangularly shaped anvil A (Figs. 15 and 16) which supports the terminal as it is being fastened to the terminal board as will be described in detail below.

The lower portion of the connector l0 comprises two tabs 24 of equal length which are separated by means of a slot and crowned outwardly to form a cylinder. The terminal 21'! is fastened to the terminal board by inserting the tabs 24 through an aperture punched or otherwise cut in the terminal board and the terminal held in this position by the anvil A. A tool T formed as a hollow circular tube is then brought into position circumjacent the tabs on the opposite side of the terminal board. The diameter of the tube is made greater than the outer diameter of the tabs whereby as a punch P having a pointed lower end is brought down in a subsequent operation, the tabs are deformed outwardly against the tubular tool T thereby to form an ofiset or shoulder shaped as is shown in Fig. 17 which secures the terminal to the board. A modified form of the above described terminal designated 2i! is shown in Fig. 18 wherein one of the tabs 24 is shorted as at 24 so that only the shoulder portion remains.

The aperture 21 (Fig. 13) for connecting the leads to the terminal 20 is generally oval in shape as is shown in Fig. 13. The diameters of the opposite ends of the aperture are so proportioned that a lead can be inserted through the larger end and pulled up towards the smaller end wherein it wedges securing the leads so that it can be wrapped around the terminal without the necessity of the use of pliers or other special tools.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modification and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A soldering terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each other, each of the end portions being crowned outwardly to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed into a shoulder for fastening the terminal to a terminal board, the folded portion being bifurcated to form an aperture for securing the lea-d during the soldering operation.

2. A soldering terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each other, each of the end portions being deformed to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed into a shoulder for fastening the terminal to a terminal board, the folded portion being bifurcated to form an aperture for securing the lead during the soldering operation.

3. A soldering terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each other, each of the end portions into a shoulder for fastening-the terminal. to a' terminal board, the folded portion being bifurcated to form an aperture proportioned so as to secure the lead during the soldering operation without the necessity of otherwise attaching the lead 'to the terminal.

i. A soldering terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip ofconducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each'other, each of the end portions being crowned outwardly to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed into a shoulder for fastening. the terminal to-a terminal board, the portion of each side of the strip between the. fold and respective crowned endportions being bent outwardly into two adjacent'lcops' thereby to form an ogdoad, the loops beingbifurcated-transversely to the direction of the fold to form an aperture for securing the lead during the soldering operation;

55A'soldering terminal for arr-electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each otheryeach of the end portions being crowned. outwardly to impart'rigidity to the terminal and permit the. end portions to be formed into a shoulder for fastening the terminal to a terminal board-the portion of each side of i the strip between the fold and respective crowned end. portions being bent outwardly into two adjacentloops thereby to form an ogdoad, the loops being bifurcated transversely to the direction of the fold to form an aperture for securing the lead during the soldering operation, the radius of at least one pair of said loops being great enough so that second leadcan be inserted therebetween.

(LA soldering terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that the two end portions lie adjacent each other, each of'the end portions being crowned outwardly to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed. into a shoulder for fastening the terminal to a terminal: board,one of said end portions being providedwith a lug to which a lead can be soldered,- the portion of each side of the strip between the fold and respective crowned end portions being bent outwardly into two adjacent loops thereby to form an ogdoad, the loops being bifurcated transversely to the direction of the fold to form an aperture forseouring the lead during the soldering operation.

7. A soldering terminal for the lead from an electrical circuit component comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so tliat-the two end portions lie adjacent each other, each of the end portions being crowned outwardly to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed into an eyelet forfastening the terminal to a terminal board, the portion of each side of thestrip between the fold and respective crowned end portions being bent outwardly into two adjacentloops thereby to forman-ogdoad, the loops beingbifurcated transversely to the direction of the fold to form a slotted aperture for securing the lead during the soldering operationythe portions of the strip forming one side of the slotted aperture being provided with a plurality of adjacent notches for accommodating the leads of components of various diameters.

SqA soldering'terminal for an electrical lead comprising a strip of conducting material folded one side ofiwhich is serrated for securing the lead duringthe solderingoperation;

9. A soldering terminal for the lead from an electrical"circuit component comprising a strip of conducting material folded back upon itself so that-the two end portions lie adjacent each otheryeachqof the end portions being crowned outwardly to impart rigidity to the terminal and permit the end portions to be formed into an eyelet for fastening the terminal to a terminal board, the portion of each side of the strip between the fold and respective crowned end portions being bent outwardly'into two or more adjacent loops, the loop adjacent the terminal board being sub-' stsntially triangular in shape, the loops being bifurcated-transversel; to the direction of the fold to form'a slotte tapered aperture for securing the load during the soldering operation, the portions of the strip forming one'side of the slotted aperture being serrated to accommodate the leads of components of various diameters.

MILTON ALDEN.

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